Rutabaga, really?

25 weeks: How your baby's growing
"Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture."

What does a rutabaga look like (also, I think I love that word. And now I know how to spell it. RUTABAGA. Oh, it's a turnip. OK. Well, that was a little disappointing. But that's OK.

Also, any child of mine will be born bald. At least this is what my mother has led me to believe, 'cause, I (lucky me) not only came out bald, but, yes according to my mother (who can spin the yarns!) I was bald 'til kindergarten.

And oh! We had a home visit from one of our lovely ladies of Awakenings Birth Services and she shared with us the first time she saw a pretty much bald kid come out.

Ross and I had been watching "gentle birth" and water birth films, and we were both intrigued and relieved to see more samples of natural birth.

Me: "I liked that in this selection of footage the music didn't start up as soon as the head comes out. I liked that we got to hear the ladies say things at this point like: 'AHHHH!!! It burns!!!' and 'Can't I be done yet?'
(Nicole, in a later conversation while on a walk: "Oh yeah, that's when it burns. And tears. But then you're done, and you forget all about the pain for two days!")
Ross: "I'm really glad we saw those. Now I know that the head comes out and the baby kinda hangs out there for a while. I thought they all just shot out! Now I won't freak out if it takes another contraction or two."
Midwife: "Did you notice how wrinkly the head head is when they come out?
Us: "Yes!"
"Midwife: "The first time I saw a head without much hair, I mean I knew what to expect, but with the wrinkles... it looked like brain matter!"
Us: "AHHH!"
All: (Laughter, etc.)